The Departed was filmed out at 2K on Arrilaser recorders, with Schoonmaker overseeing the process. TDI utilized Thomson’s Revival and Shout software for dust-busting and restoration on the negative. “I’ve known Thelma for many years, and I’ve shot seven films with her,” Ballhaus notes. “She knows the movie better than anyone other than Marty. She’s been looking at it for a year in the editing room. I trust her judgment.” With a laugh, he adds, “She could do the timing herself, but I love to do it!” The cinematographer says he will push for a DI on future projects as long as it’s appropriate. “On a period piece like Gangs of New York, we didn’t do a DI because we didn’t need to. The colors and costumes were right on the set, because we had control of everything. On The Departed, we were not in control as much. This was a contemporary movie, so sometimes we had to shoot what was there.” Schoonmaker was also very satisfied with the DI, which marked her second experience with the process. “It’s becoming the way of the future,” she says. “You have so many more tools, as opposed to just photochemically timing off a cut negative. You can emphasize one face or darken the corner of a room. It’s like painting, and it’s very attractive.”